Railroad-crossing gate



June 18, 1929.

R. V. PHILLIPS RAILROAD CROSSING GATE Filed July 8, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I Hay VPkz'ZZ June 18, 1929.

RAILROAD CROS ING GA'I 'E I Filed July 8, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ra llama;

ATTO NEY Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES RAY V. PHILLIPS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-CROSSING GATE.

Application filed July 8, 1927.

This invention relates to railroad crossing gates, and has for its primary object and purpose to provide improved means for electrically controlling the operation of the gate by a train as it approaches and passes the crossing. lVhile certain principles embodied in my present invention may be applicable to full size railway gates, the invention is designed more particularly for application and use in connection with toy railways.

It is an important object of my invention to provide automatic electrically controlled means for such toy railway gates which is of exceedingly simple mechanical construction, and requires a very small amount of current for its operation, thus enabling such improve ment to be applied to toy railways of different manufacture now known in this art without materially addingto the manufacturing cost or selling price of the toy.

More specifically, it is one of the objects of my present disclosure to provide an operating solenoid for the gate having two independent windings adapted to be electrically connected with suitable contact plates or strips arranged upon the track rails and with the electrically charged third rail which supplies current for movement of the cars together with an improved balanced mounting of the gate arm and an operating connection between the gate arm and the solenoid core.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved railway crossing gate and operating means therefor, and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated one simple and practical embodiment of the invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view showing one em bodiment of my present improvements and illustrating the circuit connection with the third rail and Contact strips on the track;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4t-4 of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of my present improvements which I have selected for purposes of Serial No. 204,235.

illustration, a base or support is indicated at 5 which may be inexpensively produced in the form of a sheet metal stamping to simulate a section of a street or roadway positioned at one side of the railway track. This track consists of the usual stamped sheet metal rails 6 arranged in spaced parallel re lation to each other and secured upon suitably spaced ties 7. A third rail 8 is centrally arranged between the track rails 6 and secured upon and insulated from the ties 7. This third rail is electrically charged from any convenient source of current and the usual current collecting shoe carried by the railway car contacts therewith whereby the necessary current for the operation of the propulsion motor of the car is obtained.

Upon one end of the base 5 at one side of the central roadway section thereof, spaced posts 9 are suitably secured and connected by an ornamental panel 10. Upon the opposite end portion of the base 5 a double acting sole noid is securely fixed. I As herein shown, this solenoid is provided with the independent upper and lower windings 11 and 12 respectively, which are suitably insulated from each other and wound upon a central tube 13. These solenoid windings are preferably en closed within an outer casing or shell 14 which may be conveniently formed from a sheet of metal bent into cylindrical shape and closely enclosing the solenoid windings. Preferably, tongues or lips indicated at 15 are bent inwardly from the end edges of this metal cylinder over the insulating heads 16 positioned in the opposite ends of said cylinder. i

As herein shown, the end portions of the metal sheet from which the cylinder 14 is formed are bent to provide flanges 17 extending radially from the cylinder and also projecting above the same. These flanges may be riveted together at one or more points if desired as indicated at 18 so that the connccted flanges form a supporting standard,

ing flanges 17. This flattened portion of the gate arm is provided with a slot 21 obliquely inclined with respect to the axis of the arm and through said slotthe transversely positioned fixed pivot pin 22 connecting the upper ends of the flanges 17 extends. To the extremity of the flattened portion of the gate arm on the opposite side of the flanges 17 with respect to the solenoid, a suitable weight 23 is fixed which substantially balances the arm 19 in a horizontal position with. its opposite end resting in a suitable support 24 fixed to one of the posts 9.

At the opposite side of the fixed pivot downwardly extending plate 25 is suitably fixed to the gate arm and is also provided with an obliquely inclined slot 26 therein which extends substantially in parallel relation to the slot 21 in the gate arm.

The solenoid core consists of a lower metal section 27 and an upper section 28 of insulating material, and said section 28 at its upper end is connected with the plate 25 by the pin 26' extending through the inclined slot 26 in said plate.

Upon one of the track rails 6 at suitably spaced points with respect .to the central roadway section of the base 5 the metal contact strips 29 and 30 respectively, are arrangetheach of said strips carrying a sheet of insulating material indicated at 31 which directly engages upon the tread portion of the rail. Clhe third rail 8 is connected by the conductor 32 with each of the solenoid coils or windings 11 and 12 While the contact strip 29 is connected with the upper solenoid coil 11 by the conductor 33 and the other strip 30 is connected with the lower solenoid coil 12 by the conductor 34. In this connection, it is to be observed that the contact strip 29 is of greater length than the strip 30 so that the circuit of the upper solenoid coil 11 for moving the gate arm to the closed position remains closed for a greater period of time than the circuit of the lower solenoid coil which is closed through the other contact plate 30, as the movement of the arm to open position is aided by the gravity movement of the weight From the above description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation of the device will be readily understood. Thus, assuming that the gate arm is in the open position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and the train isapproaching the crossing from the left, when the front truck wheel engages the contact st *ip 29, the circuit of the upper solenoid coil 11 is immediately closed through the truck axle and the core is drawn downwardly, thereby rocking the gate arm upon the fixed pivot 22. As the gate arm approaches the horizontal position, owing to the inclination of the slots 21 and 26 and the shifting of the latter slot relative to the pin 26', the arm will continue its downward movement independently of the solenoid core, and at the same time have a slight lateral movement relative to the fixed pivot 22 and the upper end of the solenoid core until the end of the gate arm engages with the supporting member 24-. Since the gate arm is now substantially evenly balanced at opposite sides of the fixed pivot 22, it will remain in this horizontal position until the front truck wheel of the train strikes the other contact strip 30, said strip being so located relative to the cossing that all of the cars or coaches will have passed the crossing before the wheel engages said contact strip. 'lhereupon, the circuit of the lower solenoid core is closed through the truck axle, and the solenoid core is moved IIINVttITily. However, this circuit remains closed only for a relatively short period of time, since after the start of the upward movement of the gate arm, it is overbalanced by the weight 23 so that the force of gravity continues the up- \vard movement of the arm to the full open position, such movement being aided by the sliding connection between the gate arm and the solenoid core and the fixed pivot 22. Thus, it will be seen that by a con'iparatively simple construction and arrangement of the )arts, I have prov'ded means which is reliable and el'licient in its action for the operation of crossing gates for such toy railways. The addition of my present improvements will not greatly increase the manufacturing cost of such devices or the selling price thereof. I have herein referred to a particular construction of the solenoid and the operat ing connection between the solenoid core and the gate arm, but it will be understood that the solenoid might be otherwise constructed and arranged for operative connection with the gate arm, and that various alternatives for the other mechanical parts might also be employed. Accordingly, in the practical (levclopnient of the invention, I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitiniate changes in the form, construction and rela tive arrangement of the several parts as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination with a crossing gate arm pivotally mounted adjacent one of its ends, a double acting solenoid having independent windings, and circuit closing means for the solenoidv windings including circuit closing strips connected with the respective solenoid windings and adapted to be arranged in spaced relation upon one of the track rails, each of said circuit closing strips having means insulating the strip from the track rail, and a solenoid core operatively connected with the gate arm and moved in relatively opposite directions upon closing of the circuits of the respective solenoid windings to thereby move the gate arm to its open and closed positions.

2. In combination with a crossing gate arm pivotally mounted adjacent one of its ends, a double acting solenoid having independent windings, and circuit closing means for the solenoid windings including circuit closing strips connected with the respective solenoid windings and adapted to be arranged in spaced relation upon one of the track rails, each of said circuit closing strips having means insulating the strip from the track rail, and a solenoid core operatively connected with the gate arm at one side of its pivot and moved in relatively opposite directions upon closing of the circuits of the respective solenoid windings to thereby move the gate arm to its open and closed positions, and a weight fixed to the gate arm at the opposite side of its pivot and substantially balancing said arm in its horizontal closed position.

3. In combination with a crossing gate arm pivotally mounted adjacent one of its ends, a double acting solenoid having independent windings, and circuit closing means for the solenoid windings including circuit closing strips connected with the respective solenoid windings and adapted to be arranged in spaced relation upon one of the track rails, each of said circuit closing strips having means insulating the strip from the track rail, means slidably connecting the gate arm with its pivot, a solenoid core moved in opposite directions by the closing of the circuit through the respective solenoid windings, and connecting means between the solenoid and the gate arm permitting of the recti linear movement of the gate arm as it approaches its horizontal closed position.

a. In combination with a crossing gate arm pivotally mounted adjacent one or" its ends, a double acting solenoid having independent windings, and circuit closing means for the solenoid windings including circuit closing strips connected with the respective solenoid windings and adapted to be arranged in spaced relation upon one of the track rails, each of said circuit closing strips having mcans insulating the strip from the track rail, means slidaoly connecting the gate arm with its pivot, a solenoid core moved in opposit-e directions by the closing oi the circuit through the respectivesolenoid windings, a plate Fixed to the gate arm having a slot therein obliquely inclined relative to the axis of the arm, and a slidable connection between one end o1 the solenoid core and said slotted plate permitting of the rectilinear movement of the gate arm relative to its pivot as the arm approaches its horizontal closed position.

5. In combination with a crossing gate arm pivotally mounted adjacent one of its ends, a double acting solenoid having independent windings, and circuit closing means for the solenoid windings including circuit closing strips connected with the respective solenoid windings and adapted to be arranged in spaced relation upon one of the track rails, each of said circuit closing strips having means insulating the strip from the track rail, means slidably connecting the gate arm with 'its pivot, a solenoid core moved in opposite directions by the closing of the circuit through the respective solenoid windings, said gate arm having a slot obliquely inclined rel ative to the axis of the arm through which the arm supporting pivot is disposed, a weight fixed to the end of the arm at one side of the pivot'and substantially balancing the arm in its horizontal closed position, a plate fixed to the arm at the opposite side of its pivot and having a slot therein obliquely inclined in substantially parallel relation to the first named slot, said solenoid core having a slidable connection at one end with said slotted plate to thereby permit of the rectilinear movement of the gate arm relative to its pivot and said core under the action of gravity in the movement of the gate arm to its open and closed positions.

6. In combination with a pivotally mounted railway crossing gate, and an operating member connected to said gate, a double acting solenoid for actuating said member in relatively opposite directions to move the gate to its open and closed positions, and train controlled means for closing the energizing circuits of said solenoid.

7. In combination with a pivotally mounted railway crossing gate, a member supported for movement only in the line of its axis and having a shiftable pivotal connection at its upper end with the gate at one side of the pivotal axis thereof, electrical means for moving said member in relatively opposite directions to move the gate to its open and closed positions, and train controlled circuit closii'ig means for said electrical means.

8. In combination with a pivotally mounted railway crossing gate, a solenoid having independent windings and a core operatively connected with the gate at one side of the pivotal. axis thereof, and train controlled means for closing an electrical circuit through the respective solenoid windings to move said core in relatively opposite directions and thereby move the gate to its open and closed positions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, l have signed my name hereto.

RAY V. PHILLIPS. 

